In a unanimous vote Friday, the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors selected Scott C. Beardsley, dean of the UVA Darden School of Business, as the University’s 10th president.
An experienced academic leader and professor, board chair/director and senior executive, Beardsley will bring the skills and experience that helped make the Darden School the top public business school in the country to his new role as UVA’s next president. He will assume his new position Jan. 1.
“I am deeply honored to be named the 10th president of the University of Virginia, an institution with a historic legacy shaped by visionaries and dedicated members of the University community,” Beardsley said. “As president, I embrace the responsibility of carrying forward that legacy while advancing UVA’s mission and ensuring we are prepared for the evolving landscape of higher education and health care. I am committed to excellence and bringing a results-driven and student-centered approach to promote the University’s academic excellence, faculty strength, exceptional patient care, financial sustainability, public service mission, and impact for the long term.”
The board elected Beardsley after he was put forward as a finalist by the Special Committee on the Nomination of a President, which oversaw an exhaustive process to identify qualified candidates.
“As stated at the outset of this search, we have been committed to an inclusive, transparent and thoughtful process to ensure the next president of the University of Virginia is equipped to play a critical role in the future of our great institution,” Rachel Sheridan, board rector and chair of the special committee, said. “After careful deliberation and close consultation with the UVA community and stakeholders throughout the process, including faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents, we are honored to announce Dean Beardsley as the University’s next leader.”
The right leader for a complex time in higher education
In a moment when institutions of higher education across the nation are facing complex questions regarding academic and institutional independence, research funding changes, a shifting landscape for collegiate athletics, and many others, the board identified Beardsley’s experience leading large, multifaceted organizations and managing competing priorities as key attributes.
William H. Goodwin Jr., former rector of the board and a Darden School alumnus, said, “Scott Beardsley is a visionary leader and a tremendous choice to be the next president of the University of Virginia. I know him to be a wonderful person who is exceptionally talented and grounded in integrity every day. Scott has already been a member of the University community for several years both as dean of the Darden School and as a resident on the Lawn. I couldn’t be more excited to have a president with strong ties to the University.”
“As someone who has spent the last 15 years leading public companies through growth and change, I recognize the importance of a steady, principled leader,” said Thomas J. Baltimore Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Park Hotels & Resorts and a graduate of the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and the Darden School of Business. “Scott Beardsley brings a practical, strategic approach and a deep respect for UVA’s people and institutions. He understands how to build trust across diverse groups and position an institution for long-term success, which is exactly what this moment at UVA calls for.”
“Dean Beardsley is an unusually thoughtful leader who understands the University not simply as an institution, but as a living, evolving and dynamic community of ideas shaped by its people,” former Rector George Keith Martin said. “His breadth and depth of experience will be a significant asset to the University. He recognizes that UVA is strongest when people feel valued, connected and invested in its shared purpose.”
“Scott Beardsley is a seasoned and collaborative leader. I have worked with Scott for the past decade and know him as a person of talent, energy and passion for higher education,” interim President of the University of Virginia Paul Mahoney said. “When I took the reins as interim president, I said that my job was to set up the 10th president for success. I will leave office confident in having done so. The University has achieved operational stability and reached a favorable agreement with the Department of Justice. I’m proud of what we accomplished and look forward to working closely with Scott to ensure the smoothest possible transition.”
A record of academic excellence and institutional leadership
Beardsley joined the University as dean of the Darden School in 2015 and has elevated the graduate business school to new heights, achieving historic levels of student success, academic excellence and fundraising. A chaired professor in Strategy, Ethics and Entrepreneurship, Beardsley has recruited a new generation of faculty while maintaining the school’s No. 1 faculty rankings and lifting its stature globally. During his tenure at UVA, he has successfully worked under three Virginia governors, with a fourth set to be inaugurated next month. He has served three University presidents and worked with six Darden School Foundation board chairs.
“Scott Beardsley understands the academic mission of the faculty and shares our values,” said James H. Lambert, the Janet Scott Hamilton & John Dowman Hamilton Professor of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the faculty representative to the board. “He brings both respect for UVA’s legacy and a bold vision for the University’s future at a pivotal time for higher education.”
“Scott Beardsley’s work at Darden has been defined by a consistent commitment to impact in everything he does,” said Vivian Riefberg, professor of practice at the Darden School. “He is focused on translating ideas into action and making a meaningful difference.”
“I am deeply grateful to these leaders for giving me the opportunity to serve UVA and the commonwealth of Virginia and to learn from them over the past 10 years,” Beardsley said. “I especially want to thank President Emerita Terry Sullivan, who took a chance on me; President Emeritus Jim Ryan, for his leadership during a pivotal period and for reappointing me to his team twice; and interim President Paul Mahoney, who graciously stepped forward as interim president, for all they have done to move the University forward.”
Prior to Darden, Beardsley was a senior partner based in Belgium at McKinsey & Company, where he was among the fastest to rise to senior partner. Beardsley holds a doctorate in higher education management with distinction from University of Pennsylvania, which awarded him the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award.
He earned an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with high faculty honors as Henry S. Dupont III Scholar and Sloan Management Review Scholar, and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering magna cum laude with Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honors from Tufts University. At Oxford’s Pembroke College, he is studying philosophy part time and is a 2026 candidate for a Master of Studies in Practical Ethics, Artificial Intelligence.
“Scott Beardsley is a visionary leader who consistently delivers. He has transformed Darden – elevating the school to top rankings, relentlessly pursuing teaching excellence and student outcomes, and attracting world-class students, faculty and staff,” said Frank Sands, a Darden School alumnus, immediate past chair of the Darden School Foundation, and CEO of Sands Capital. “Under his leadership, Darden expanded to the Northern Virginia/D.C. metro campus, opened the remarkable Forum Hotel and advanced new student housing, significantly enhancing the school’s reach and impact. His accomplishments are matched only by his integrity and his unwavering belief in the power of education to change lives. Scott brings a rare combination of global leadership experience, strategic insight, and a deep commitment to service. I have full confidence that he will be an exceptional president of the University of Virginia.”
A search defined by scale, rigor and engagement
UVA began preparing for the search for a 10th president in July, and the first meeting of the special committee was held in August. The University retained the renowned executive search firm, Isaacson, Miller, to partner with the board in leading the presidential search and engaging every constituency in the UVA community.
“Having served on the Board of Visitors as an appointee of both Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Gov. Ralph Northam, I know how seriously the responsibility of selecting the University president is taken and am proud to have been a member of this presidential search committee,” Jimmy Reyes, former member UVA Board of Visitors, said. “The search gathered input from a wide range of stakeholders through more than 40 different listening sessions over the five-month search, including both virtual and in-person opportunities.”
“We are pleased to have served the Special Committee on the Presidential Search and been a part of one of most robust and comprehensive searches for a candidate at an unprecedented scale,” John Isaacson, founder and chair of the search firm Isaacson, Miller, said. “The board, united in their work to conduct a comprehensive national search, looked carefully at an impressive talent pool of highly credible candidates and selected 10 for interviews. Together they identified a strong, small group of the most serious candidates, almost all of whom had deep UVA histories that would be the envy of any university in the country. Dean Beardsley rose to the top.”
For more information about President-elect Beardsley, please visit https://10thpresident.virginia.edu/
